Introduce a new static method `Object.same(obj1, obj2)` that exposes the VM's built-in equality semantics (`wrenValuesEqual`) directly, bypassing any user-defined `==` overrides. This required creating a dedicated metaclass for Object (subclass of Class) to host the static method without polluting every class with a `same` method. The implementation wires up a new `Object metaclass` in the core initialization sequence, adjusts the class hierarchy setup order, and adds comprehensive tests covering value types, identity comparison, and verification that `Object.same` ignores custom `==` operators.
Wren is a small, fast, class-based concurrent scripting language
Think Smalltalk in a Lua-sized package with a dash of Erlang and wrapped up in a familiar, modern syntax.
IO.print("Hello, world!")
class Wren {
flyTo(city) {
IO.print("Flying to ", city)
}
}
var adjectives = new Fiber {
["small", "clean", "fast"].each {|word| Fiber.yield(word) }
}
while (!adjectives.isDone) IO.print(adjectives.call())
-
Wren is small. The codebase is about 5,000 lines. You can skim the whole thing in an afternoon. It's small, but not dense. It is readable and lovingly-commented.
-
Wren is fast. A fast single-pass compiler to tight bytecode, and a compact object representation help Wren compete with other dynamic languages.
-
Wren is class-based. There are lots of scripting languages out there, but many have unusual or non-existent object models. Wren places classes front and center.
-
Wren is concurrent. Lightweight fibers are core to the execution model and let you organize your program into an army of communicating coroutines.
-
Wren is a scripting language. Wren is intended for embedding in applications. It has no dependencies, a small standard library, and an easy-to-use C API. It compiles cleanly as C99, C++98 or anything later.
If you like the sound of this, give it a try! Even better, you can contribute to Wren itself.